Bienvenue au Mardi Gras!

March 11, 2013

The French Club at Monmouth College celebrated Mardi-Gras this month at The Weeks House on the corner of Broadway and 9th Street on campus. Students and professors alike gathered together to socialize, learn how to cook delicious homemade crepes, and decorate masks in celebration of the French festival of Mardi-Gras.

The history of Mardi-Gras began long before Europeans set foot in the New World. In fact, the ancient Romans celebrated the Lupercalia, a festival similar to the Mardi-Gras we know today. It represented the last day for celebration with food and drink before the Lent season of fasting. Mardi Gras has been a major festival celebrated since the Middle-Ages in Paris. In some Roman Catholic countries the custom of celebrating Mardi-Gras has continued since the Middle Ages celebrated with dancing, spectacular parades, and masked balls. Some of the most celebrated festivals today are held in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and Nice, France.

Before Valentine´s Day, for the first time at Monmouth, French Club sold carnations that students and faculty could purchase to send with a card for that special Valentine. The carnations sale helped sponsor the organization on campus. The sale went wonderfully and will continue annually in February.

Right now French club is working on various presentations to enter into the upcoming Modern Foreign Language Week in March. Some students are doing a painting, reciting a piece of poetry, while other students are putting together a skit of the French Revolution. French Club´s next big event will be wine tasting (non-alcoholic) and cheese night in April.